


All I Want for Christmas Is You

by androgenius



Series: Advent Calendar [20]
Category: Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon, Nancy Drew (Video Games), Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries - Franklin W. Dixon & Carolyn Keene
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Smut, Christmas Tree, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Secret Santa, Snowball Fight, Snowed In, literally all the christmas tropes and cliches you could possibly think of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 07:13:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9061945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/androgenius/pseuds/androgenius
Summary: A different Nancy Drew kink fic for (almost!!) every day in December until Christmas! The request for this one was: "what about fake relationship for the holidays to appease the family for francy??"





	

"How on earth did I get myself into this, again?" Her voice is hushed, but her face belies the subtle sense of panic-- subtle, if only because Nancy usually doesn't let panic show on her face-- if she lets it show at all. But right now, staring up at the ceiling, head having long fallen back against the wall… Bess can only assume.

Pulling back from where she's been peeking around the corner into the dining room, Bess clears her throat, her voice soft.

"Um, well… your dad and Frank and Joe's parents have thought you and Frank would be amazing together only for basically about forever, and so because they wouldn't stop nagging, and because you both knew it would only get worse what with the Hardys visiting and all, you two decided it would be an _awesome_ idea if you pretended to get together because you've still been getting over Ned, and he's still been getting over Callie… and now that they're here, you're both slowly realizing that this has all been a colossally huge mistake, and… why are you looking at me like that?"

"It was a rhetorical question, Bess."

"Oh. Right. One of those. Gotcha."

She's quiet for a long moment before she decides to keep going. "Well-- as far as I'm concerned-- and let's face it, I'm usually right about stuff like this-- you two are blowing this _way_ out of proportion. And _not_ only because your dad and their parents are right."

"Bess!"

"I said _not only_! Sheesh, would you relax? They only just arrived last night. It can't _possibly_ be as bad as you two are making it out to be."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ that he's having the exact same conversation with Joe right now, except that his is happening in the hallway off the dining room! Nancy, what on earth did you think I was spying on?!"

"I-- I don't know-- look, I'll just go talk to him."

She starts walking only for Bess' arm to interrupt her, shooting out to stop her dead in her tracks. "Are you _mad_?! Let him work his own crisis out first, _then_ send him into another panic."

"I just-- I'm out of my element here! It's not like I'm used to… dating someone that I'm… not actually dating."

Taking a deep breath, she shakes her head, the motion one done absently and mostly to herself.

"No, you're used to not really dating someone that you _are_ actually dating." Pursing her lips, Bess throws Nancy a _look_. "I get it, okay? I really do. But… maybe this isn't such a bad idea. Maybe this is exactly what the two of you need-- you to get over Ned, and Frank to get over Callie."

"Right." She's not sure she's ever sounded so uncertain.

"That's the spirit!"

 

&

 

"All right," Nancy mutters softly, locking the door behind her before making her way over to join him where he's sitting on her bed. "We need a gameplan. We can't have what happened this morning… happen again."

"Agreed," Frank nods, licking his lips, a nervous tick she's come to recognize easily enough after years of knowing him. "Which means we probably ought to come up with a good backstory for how we got together, too… so we can avoid any more… awkward silences. Pretty sure I won't ever again be able to associate pancakes with anything else."

"Same here," she laughs, leaning back against her headboard, her leg propped up, the other outstretched. "Well, Ned and I broke up two months ago, and you…"

Frank nods, swallowing thickly, his eyes suddenly downcast, focused as intently upon the flowery pattern of her duvet now as he had been on the pancakes earlier that day. "Yeah."

"Right. So… we need to figure out when you would have been over her. Realistically, I mean."

Part of the problem, she's sure, is the fact that he isn't over her yet, Frank's face falling as he offers Nancy a small smile. "I'm… fine. You don't have to keep tip-toeing around the issue."

"So… two or so months ago? I mean, you were with her for a _long_ time..."

"You don't have to remind me," he sighs, shaking his head. "Anyway, let's just say that we agreed to give this… whole thing a shot about a month ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he nods. "We just decided to keep it on the down-low for a while because we didn't want anyone else making too big a deal of it."

"Feel it out for a while in case it didn't work out?"

"Right, exactly," he nods again, "And at that point it was a mutual decision. You were… consoling me over Callie, and I asked if you'd ever… thought about the possibility of us… maybe working out."

"And naturally I said yes," Nancy continues with a nod, Frank falling silent for a moment.

"... have you?"

Looking up at him, she blinks, recognition seeming to evade her. "Hm?"

"... never mind. Right, so we decided to give it a shot. That simple?"

"Mm… not quite," Nancy shakes her head, getting up to grab a small notepad. "I mean… have we been intimate?"

For just a split second, Frank looks completely lost, his eyes wide as he stares at her as though he must have misheard her. "Wh-what?"

"You know--"

"Frank! Nancy! Come down here!"

Sitting up at the sound of her father's voice from downstairs, Nancy promptly gets up, opening the door only to hover outside of her room wit, her body leaned against the banister.

"What is it, dad?"

"Joe just got off the phone with Bess; it would appear that the two of them have been conspiring in your and Frank's absence. Apparently the plan is for all of us-- George, too, of course-- to go ice skating at the open-air rink downtown."

"Say no more; I'll just throw on something warmer and we'll be right down to join you guys!"

"All right, sweetheart, sounds good."

"What are we doing?" Frank's gaze still looks as owlish as it did before, Nancy grinning as she steps into her closet to grab a sweater.

"Ice skating!"

"Ohhhh no. Oh no, we're not."

"It's apparently non-negotiable," she smiles, pulling on her boots. "Joe and Bess have already worked it all out. And dad and your parents are coming, too, so we ought to put our most convincing relationship-foot forward."

"... _Joe_. Of course he'd do this." Shaking his head to himself, he sighs, leaning against the wall opposite the closet. "If you were worried I wouldn't be holding your hand during all this, don't be. I'm not exactly the most... _skilled_ person on the ice. I mean-- don't get me wrong, Joe isn't, either; in fact, I'm pretty sure he spends more time falling flat on his face than he does standing, but..."

" _... but_ he wants to see his older brother fall more than he wants to stay upright."

Frank laughs, the sound effortless and bright, Nancy smiling in spite of herself. "Bingo."

"Gotcha. Well… I'm not too terrible, so… maybe if you do have someone's hand to hold it won't be so bad."

Frank smiles. "Let's hope so."

 

&

 

"I don't know," he finally says, still staring down at his now-laced skates with no small amount of uncertainty, "I'm still not sure if this is such a good idea."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Nancy laughs, finishing up tying off her own before moving to stand and holding her hand out to him to help him up. "This is why there's a wall around the rink for you to hold onto in case you start feeling unsteady."

"Right," he nods, sounding woefully unconvinced, his gaze still caught on his skates, as though he might lose his balance the second he looks away. "Guess I've just taken one too many falls to be totally convinced that these aren't going to kill me…"

" _Relax_ ," Nancy smiles, slowly leading him over to the entrance of the rink, her own steps taking her backwards. "You'll be _fine_. I won't let you fall."

"Okay… I guess I can trust you… tentatively."

She can't keep herself from laughing again, Nancy just barely resisting the urge to whack him in the arm lest she make him lose his balance. "You are such a drama queen!"

"Joe's the drama queen!" he protests, Nancy throwing him a _look_.

"Right now he's _not_ the drama queen between the two of you," she shakes her head, stepping onto the ice and slowly backing up in an attempt to lead him along after her, his hands in hers.

"I'm… not so sure about this."

"Frank…" she nods her head to the side where even his parents are skating, albeit slowly, Frank wincing before letting go of one of her hands to instead grab hold of the edge of the rink as one of his feet finally meets the ice.

"Okay, uh-- now I just need to--"

His feet almost give way under him as his other foot finds the ice, Nancy half-catching where his painfully tight grip on the boards wasn't enough to keep him upright.

"Frank… relax. You being this tense isn't doing you any favors. Relax, close your eyes, and trust me."

"Close-- did you seriously just say I should _close my eyes_?"

"Please? For me?" When Frank does little more than cringe, Nancy sighs, squeezing the one hand he's still letting her hold onto. "Look, I told you that I wouldn't let you fall, didn't I? And you already know that you can trust me. Right?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"Just-- give me your other hand."

"What exactly are you going to do with it?"

"I'm just going to hold your hands and then glide you along. I'll move backward and you'll close your eyes and relax because you know you can trust me."

There seems to be an internal battle of wills being fought inside of him, the conflict playing out on his face as he tries to straighten his legs, the movement making him shakier than ever. Where his fingers are tightly wrapped around the edge of the rink, His knuckles are slowly turning white.

"Give me your hand--"

Balancing himself on his forearm, the edge of the rink slowly digging into his skin as he holds his hand out to her that way, Frank winces, his eyes squeezed shut in self-evident panic.

"Oh come _on_ , Frank, stop being such a chicken!" Joe hollers from the other end of the rink, causing Frank's grimace to get all the frownier.

Gently taking hold of his hand, she eases his forearm off the edge, Frank's balance shaky at best. "All right… now just relax and keep your eyes closed."

"Trust me… I don't want to open them."

Laughing softly, Nancy starts slowly moving them, her own skates ever so slowly pulling him along.

"How far have we gone?"

"About halfway around the rink."

"Really?"

"Yep!"

"Oh." There's a genuine amount of relief on his face as Frank smiles. "Well, that's not so bad. I remember it being way worse--"

Joe comes to a sudden stop beside his big brother, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. That's because when we were younger we went out skating on the lake behind the school and _you_ fell in."

"What?" Frank's eyes open again, his eyes suddenly wide as Nancy, too, slows them down to a stop.

"Look at him. He's repressed the memory. Frank, my man," he claps his brother on the shoulder, causing him to nearly fall over and onto the ice, "I don't blame you. It was a bad day. You almost died of hypothermia. Anyone would have reacted the way you did."

"Hey--" Of all the things she would have expected from Frank at that-- sheer terror, mortification, crushing her hand out of a fear of slipping and falling again-- getting distracted by something behind her was not on the list. "Who's your dad talking to?"

Turning to look outside of the rink, Nancy frowns. "I'm not sure. He was supposed to join us… here, I'll go check-- Joe, you help your brother!"

Skating back to the other side of the link, Nancy comes to an easy stop, making her way over to her father just as he hangs up the phone.

"Dad?"

"Hey, kiddo," he smiles, glancing out at the rink. "Can you let Fenton and Laura know that I'd like a word?"

"Sure. What's going on?"

Sighing, he shakes his head. "Unexpected change of plans. Aunt Eloise is getting her hardwood floors refinished, and the contractor just now told her that she'd have to stay somewhere else for at least a few days. So Hannah's coming back earlier than expected..."

"... and Aunt Eloise is joining her."

"That's it exactly," he nods, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "Which means that we're in a bit of a pickle when it comes to beds. If it was just Hannah, then Frank and Joe could just clear out of her room and sleep on the pull-out couch-- I might've even been okay with Frank sleeping in your bed-- but with Aunt Eloise coming up, too, we're short at least one bed. And while typically this is what we have the guest room for..."

"... that's where Mr. and Mrs. Hardy are staying."

Carson nods, his expression solemn. "I might have an alternative, but… it might be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. And, well, obviously Laura and Fenton would have to be okay with it."

"What is it, dad?"

"I don't want to talk about it and get anyone's hopes up before it's for sure, but if we do decide that it's a good idea, we'll let you kids know at dinner, all right?"

"Of course, dad. I'll let Mr. and Mrs. Hardy know."

"Thanks, kiddo."

Getting back onto the ice, she's focused enough on getting on without incident that she misses Frank incoming entirely, alerted to his rapid approach only by the sound of her name before he runs into her, effectively knocking the both of them back into the snow.

"S-sorry about that--"

Nancy can't help but laugh until she notices how close his face is to hers, her heartbeat suddenly quickening.

Of course, then Joe had to go and _wolf-whistle_ , Nancy rolling her eyes as Frank groans, a scowl marring his features for a moment before he pushes himself up onto all fours and to his feet-- ones firmly planted in the snow, _thank you_ \-- to hold his hand out to Nancy, helping her back up.

Dusting herself off, she laughs, shaking his head. "Oh, Joe. He'll never change, huh?"

"Hasn't for as long as I've known him… which would be _too long_."

Throwing Frank a chiding look to go with her smile, she finally gets back on the ice, waving to the Hardys before making her way over to their side of the rink.

 

&

 

"So," Frank starts, looking up at Carson and his parents from his spot at the dinner table. "Want to fill us in on what's going on?"

"Hannah's coming back earlier than expected, and she's bringing Aunt Eloise along with her."

"Which means…?"

"Which _means_ ," Carson sighs, throwing Joe a _look_ , "that there won't be enough bedrooms here."

" _So…_ " Fenton continues, "we were talking about maybe… taking a trip up to the cabin together."

"All _right_!"

Frank shoots Joe a sharp glare from across the table, subtly-- not subtly _enough_ \-- inclining his head in Nancy's direction.

"I know we haven't been up in a while, Nance, but… Hannah and Aunt Eloise can look after Togo, but… who knows, it might be nice to go back up."

 _Emotional rollercoaster_. Glancing down at her empty plate, the reality of his words seem to set in ever-so-slowly. The cabin had been a joint property investment up in the north of Wisconsin between the Hardys and the Drews years and years ago. Of course, then her mom died… and their yearly trips up at Christmastime were cut off.

Throwing her father a smile, she slowly nods. Perhaps it is time for that to change.

 

&

 

Carson heads out that night to go pick up Hannah and Aunt Eloise from the airport, effectively confining Joe and Frank onto the sleeper sofa in the living room while Hannah and Aunt Eloise get to share Hannah's bed for the night before everyone leaves for Wisconsin in the morning, Nancy coming back down from where she'd been upstairs to set down a set of sheets, blankets, and pillows.

"You'll never believe what dad said before he left for the airport," Nancy starts, throwing Frank a grin from where he and Joe are getting the sleeper folded out and set up, Nancy shaking out the fitted sheet.

"Oh no. Am I going to regret hearing this?"

Nancy laughs. "Mmmaybe. He said he actually wouldn't mind if you decided to share a bed with me so that Joe can take the sleeper for himself."

"And you turned him down?!" Joe straightens to throw his hands up with a groan. "Frank, be a man and stop blushing!"

"I'm not-- _blushing_ \--" he mutters hotly, suddenly very intent on not looking at Nancy.

"Of course I turned him down," Nancy rolls her eyes, starting to get the fitted sheet around the sleeper with a sigh. "It's not like we're--" She glances behind herself as if to double-check that Laura and Fenton haven't suddenly reappeared behind her, Nancy lowering her voice. "... actually together."

"You two are kidding, right?"

"What?" Looking to Joe, she shakes her head, turning to fluff their pillows before getting their covers on them.

"There is _nothing_ more obvious about you not being actually together than you guys not _jumping_ at the chance to climb into bed together! Especially with parental permission!"

"Joe..." Frank's voice is dark and low in obvious warning, but Joe seems undeterred.

"No, _seriously_!"

Clearing her throat, it's Nancy's turn to feel her face flush, busying herself with the pillows, her gaze most decidedly not on either of them. "That's… really not true, Joe."

At their silence, she continues with a reluctant sigh. "Well, every time that… Ned… stayed over, he always stayed in the guest room."

An odd sort of silence seems to fall over the room, both of them staring at her in seeming disbelief as Nancy staunchly refuses to raise her gaze from her pillow fluffing endeavors, only interrupted by a loud laugh from the kitchen.

"I… should probably go check on them," Joe mutters somewhat awkwardly, Frank glowering at him as he rushes out of the room.

"My company that bad, huh?" Nancy laughs, setting the pillows down as Frank echoes her, his own sounding more nervous than anything else.

"No, it's not that-- just..." He shakes his head. "My brother can just be the absolute worst sometimes. Sorry about…" He gestures vaguely ahead of himself. "... all of that crap."

"Oh, that's all right," she laughs. "I mean, it's not like it would be the end of the world if we slept together-- um--" Her brain stutters to an abrupt halt, Nancy's eyes widening as she feels herself turn a brilliant shade of red. "I-- I mean-- in the same bed, obviously, not--" She clears her throat. "Well, you know what I mean. My point is--" If she could only remember her point-- "-- that you're one of my best friends, and obviously I trust you… and… well, much as we might hate to admit it, Joe's not wrong. It would make this whole… thing… more convincing."

"So… are you asking me to…?"

"No!" she shoots out, her eyes going wide until the realization of just how rapid-fire her response was slowly setting in. "I mean-- no. I'm sure we'd both be more comfortable with… this arrangement. Besides--" She's starting to doubt whether she'll ever be anything but red ever again, "it would be strange if I suddenly changed my mind now."

".... yeah. Probably."

"Mm," she nods, taking in a deep breath as she gets the sheet over the duvet.

 

&

 

The rest of the night passes in relative peace, Frank, Joe, and Nancy deciding to join Bess and George in their gingerbread house making competition in the kitchen, and consequently getting a mess everywhere. Joe wins, on account of cheating (something that Bess insisted on rather vehemently before proceeding to chase him through the house with the threat of icing on her fingers, something that also results in quite the mess).

It's the next morning that brings the most surprises, however, Nancy getting up and out of bed to follow her usual routine. Amble into the bathroom, pull on bathrobe, brush teeth, floss, rinse out with mouthwash, and-- following a satisfying stretch and one last yawn-- make her way downstairs.

She's partways down the stairs when it hits her, her eyes widening.

Frank Hardy, in all his shirtless glory, starting to pack up his things for their departure.

She's not blind or stupid-- she's always known that Frank had to be absolutely _stacked_ under all those sweaters, sweater vests, and cardigans.

But to see it in person…

Swallowing hard, she wills herself to call up any semblance of self-control left in her body and takes a deep breath before clearing her throat rather loudly and subsequently causing Frank Hardy to stumble, eyes wide as saucers.

"Oh _fu_ \-- Nancy! Hi! I mean-- uh-- good morning!"

"Morning, Frank," Nancy smiles warmly, inwardly infinitely grateful for her lightness of foot and the amount of time she had to compose herself at the sight of a shirtless Frank. "Coffee?"

 

&

 

It's after breakfast-- _and_ after Frank and Joe shovel the driveway-- that they all end up piling into… two cars. The arrangement turns out to be a rather messy one.

The first arrangement would have put Carson, Fenton, Laura, and Joe in Carson's beamer, and Nancy, Frank, George, and Bess in Nancy's convertible.

But sometimes the more egalitarian option is not the right now, Joe arguing that he shouldn't be punished just because Frank is "dating" Nancy.

So the second arrangement puts Carson, Fenton, and Laura in Carson's beamer, and… Nancy, Frank, George, Bess, _and_ Joe in Nancy's convertible.

With their trunks stuffed to the brim with suitcases _and_ presents, it turns out to be less than comfortable, and by the time the lot of them arrive in Marinette, Wisconsin, it's groans all around on the kids' side, Joe, Bess, and George all stretching, bending this and that way, infinitely grateful to have only been trapped for a three-and-a-half hour drive up.

"Oh god," George groans, her hands pressed into her aching lower back as Joe throws a glower at Frank.

"You know, this is all your fault."

"My fault?! You could have gone with them! Their car is bigger, more comfortable--"

Laura grins almost wickedly. "Mmhmm… let's just say that our drive was _beyond_ comfortable."

"Oh, right, like I wanted to be with the adults when I could hang out with my friends!"

"Well, you didn't exactly have to _sit_ on me!" Bess protests with a huff. "Just because I was in the middle doesn't mean that I volunteered to be everyone's spare footroom!"

"All right," Carson sighs, popping the trunk on his beamer, "let's just get unpacked, shall we? The sooner we get this done, us adults can go into town to grab some groceries."

 

&

 

As it turns out-- unpacking proving most illuminating-- the choice of cabin was fairly well-thought out. Two bedrooms downstairs for the adults, and three upstairs. It's convenient, in this instance, that, between the families Drew and Hardy, there were there children. One room for each of them, then.

It's a sobering thought, one Nancy finds herself slipping into more often than once as she's unpacking, finally able to turn her attention to the box of Christmas decorations in the cabinet to start putting up garlands and lights.

"Hey," Frank sidles up beside her, grabbing a bit of the garland to help hang it up, "you okay?"

"Mm?" Shaking her head as if to clear out the cobwebs left there from her thoughts, she blinks, willing herself to come back to the real world. Right. Frank asked a question. Looking up at him with a small, albeit weak smile, she nods. "Yeah, of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just… you've seemed really quiet, that's all."

Sighing, she shakes her head, reaching down to the end table beside her, to pick up an old picture of her, Carson, and Kate, their faces seeming to stare back at her even through the thin layer of dust that's accumulated. Blowing onto it to clear it a bit, she sighs, feeling an unexpected bout of tears well up.

"See?" she says softly, willing her voice not to crack as she holds the picture out for him to see. "I'm fine."

"Hey, hey--" Shaking his head, he steps closer, pulling his arms around her. "It doesn't have to be fine, you know."

"We just..." She swallows hard, fighting the lump in her throat, "haven't been here in a long time, and I'd-- I'd forgotten--"

"Shhhhshhshh-- it's all right. I can take the pictures down for you, if you want."

She shakes her head against his shoulder. "No," she whispers, "they belong here. We already pretend back at home; we don't have to pretend around the holidays, too, right? It's just-- I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"I know. How could you have?  We haven't been up here in forever."

Nancy takes notice-- vaguely-- of the fact that he's started swaying her somewhat, the motion soothing, calming-- and not entirely unlike dancing. Slowly letting her eyes drift closed, she sighs, just letting herself relax against him for once. He smells unmistakably like cinnamon and-- just a hint of vanilla, the scent reminding her of a happier time, of Christmases past, both families coming together…

"I guess it's fortuitous," she smiles against the flannel of his shirt, "three kid's bedrooms then, one for each of us… and now..."

"... one for Bess and George, one for me and Joe, and one for you."

She's quiet for a long moment, grateful suddenly that her face is buried in his front. "Well," she starts, "maybe… maybe we could..."

"What?"

"Nothing," she whispers, and swallows the fresh lump in her throat, the two of them returning to the quiet sway of their bodies, Frank practically rocking her to distract her. It's working

"... I don't want to interrupt this," Frank says after a long moment, the words whispered softly into her hair, "but does it seem weird to you that we've been out in the living room this whole time and no one has left the kitchen just yet to come check on us?"

There's Christmas music playing, of course, the sound of Bess and George in the kitchen making Christmas cookies, Joe… somewhere… but he's not wrong, Nancy pulling back to look at him, slowly nodding.

"You don't think..."

"Shhh." Feeling Frank's finger press against her lips, Nancy's eyes widen for a moment as he turns to look back at the kitchen before nodding to her, leaning in close to her ear to whisper, his breath hot against her, lips brushing the shell of her ear only for her to shiver, her eyes closing. "Yes. I do think. They're absolutely on our parents' side."

Well. She can't say that that's entirely unexpected, Nancy pursing her lips as she grumbles, setting the picture of her family back down.

"So let's just… play along with their stupid little plan, yeah?" Frank shrugs, slowly backing away from her as Nancy looks after him. Maybe a bad idea.

Definitely.

The sound of a loud, obnoxious banging at the door seems to interrupt them both, Frank rolling his eyes as he steps up to open it. The sharp, bitingly cold gust of wind rushing inside alongside a flurry of snow is quickly followed by one Joe Hardy, the vast majority of his body covered by a pile of logs, each one seemingly outfitted with a little snowcap of its own and Joe buried underneath. "Frank! Help-- heavy-- can't--"

Rolling his eyes again, Frank steps forward, Joe unloading the whole lot of the logs into Frank's arm with a sigh of relief.

"Gee, thanks, Joe!" Frank grunts from beneath the pile, Nancy tutting as she brushes down her skirt and rushes over to him to grab two of the logs.

"What?! They were heavy! My arms have gone all noodle-y!"

"George? Bess?" Nancy calls into the kitchen as she sets down the two logs to start, "help Frank out and grab some of those, would you?"

"Oh, suuuure, not like we weren't engaged in the very important task of bakery-ing!" She heaves a great sigh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming--"

"Hey, I think I see your dad's car pulling up, Nance," Joe remarks from his spot where he's glancing out the front window. Sure enough, he's not wrong, Nancy's eyes widening.

"Oh-- I didn't think they'd also get a tree--!"

Opening the front door again to step out, Carson shuts the car door. "You grab Bess and George to help Laura with the groceries, and then tell Frank and Joe to come out here! We gotta get the tree in!"

 

&

 

It turns out to be quite the process, the tree large and heavy, made all the harder to maneuver with four grown men trying to do the work all at once in a fairly small space. But with it set up, the kids get to decorating it properly, Nancy leaning in to kiss her father's cheek with a bright smile as Laura gets the groceries stowed away and dinner started.

"I didn't think we were getting a tree this year, dad. Thank you."

"We always got one before, kiddo. No reason not to this time."

"You're the best."

"I know," he grins, reaching down into the box with the decorations, "which is also why I'm putting this up here."

Oh.

Oh good.

Mistletoe.

"... oh, dad, that's really not necessary--"

"No, I insist! Besides, you two have been so distant this whole trip, almost like nothing's changed between you went from being friends to being more, and I thought… well, if you two were just feeling shy doing all that stuff in front of your parents, then this is a good excuse that anyone can understand."

Nancy smiles, doing her best not to look excited instead of simultaneously pained and panicked. Oh god. How on earth is she going to go from living room to kitchen and back again while also avoiding the mistletoe?

"... plus," her father continues with a shrug that looks innocent, and yet-- as she knows-- is anything but, "well, this is our first Christmas together up here… since..."

"Dad," she sighs, turning to him as she shakes her head a bit sadly. "I know. I'm just trying not to think about it."

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he smiles with a soft nod. "You got it, kiddo. You do you."

"Thanks, dad."

 

&

 

Somehow they manage to get through cookies, tree decorating, rest-of-cabin decorating, and dinner without too much fanfare, Frank getting the fire in the fireplace going later that night.

It's still lit by the time she comes downstairs later, unable to get to sleep all too easily, Nancy surprised until she sees Frank sitting in front of it, just staring at the way the flames seem to lick at each other…

"I'm surprised dad didn't put it out."

"I… told him I'd be up for a while still and that I'd handle it."

Moving to sit down beside him with a soft sigh, she leans her head on his shoulder.

"Couldn't sleep, either?"

"Mmm… no. And not for lack of trying, either. It's not even the beds, it's just… this place..." She shrugs.

"I know," he sighs, closing his eyes. "Guess it just feels like the past won't stop being the past up here."

"Is this about…?"

She has an inkling of course, Frank sighing again-- sharper this time, running his hand through his hair with a groan. "Yeah."

You know," she starts slowly, "you never told me what happened. I just know it ended."

He's quiet for a long moment, just staring at the fire as though desperately, fiercely fighting to find the words appear in the flames before him.

"Just..." He shakes his head, his words impossibly soft, "... caught Callie cheating four months ago."

Catching the look on Frank's face, Nancy's eyes widen as she sits up a bit, reaching for his hand to hold. "Frank-- you know that wasn't your fault, right?"

"Yeah, I've heard all that bullshit."

Catching the look on her face, he pulls a grimace, shaking his head as he interlaces their fingers. "Sorry. Just… it's been rough."

"Well, you might be tired of hearing it by now, but you're wonderful! I mean it. And what Callie did was horrible. With morals like that… she must have had those before you came into the picture. It's not like you changed her into a bad person."

"Maybe I… I don't know, bored her."

"Bored?" Nancy starts to laugh. "Have you _met_ you?"

"Hey, maybe it just takes a detective to be able to appreciate one. I mean… that's what happened with you and Ned, right?"

Nancy falls silent for a moment, just blinking down at their entwined hands. "... yeah. I guess it is."

"Hey," he says, his voice softer this time, the sound nevertheless catching her off guard as she looks at him only to find his gaze directed at the window. "I think it's… snowing."

Getting up, Nancy makes her way over to the window, her knee on the back of the couch as she stares, wide-eyed. "Wow. It's… _really_ coming down."

"Good thing they got those groceries today, huh?"

Nancy laughs, grinning at him with a nod. "Dad sure isn't going to be happy about this. His beamer is awful in the snow."

"Guess we're stuck," Frank smiles, glancing up over his shoulder at the stairs with a soft sigh. "I know we should get some sleep, but..." He shakes his head. "Don't really want to go to bed."

"Mm?" Frowning, she turns to look at him, moving to sit on her heel. "Callie?"

"... no, actually… Joe snores like a banshee when he's not in his own bed. Plus he gets… territorial. Like--" he laughs, "I keep waking up with bruises from where he's been elbowing me and smacking me in the face with his arm… one time he kneed me in the junk..."

Nancy laughs.

"Yeah… woke up _real_ fast from that one. Wasn't fun."

"Well..." Her gaze falls to the floor, not altogether confident in the words that might come out of her mouth any moment now, her laughter sheepish. "I mean… I wouldn't mind if you… wanted to..." She shrugs.

"Wanted to wh-- _oh_. Oh."

For a hot minute, Frank just stares at her, mouth slightly agape. "Uh. I mean-- are you sure?"

She hesitates. Then nods. "I'm sure. It's the… right thing to do."

"... and how's that?"

"I mean, it's in the spirit of the season… and it's not like they were wrong-- it would make sense for us to want to be..." she feels herself flush, ducking her head, "... _intimate_."

"I mean, I was planning on just taking the couch, but... if you're sure… it _would_ be nice to get a good night's rest in."

"Come on. Get that fire put out and then let's get upstairs."

 

&

 

"We're snowed in!" Bess' screams from downstairs are enough to wake a bear up out of hibernation, Nancy groaning as she tries to roll onto her back only to find someone's arms around her.

The first instinct is to panic, but then she remembers last night.

 _Frank_.

With the panic quickly subsiding with that realization, Nancy relaxes, slowly taking in her surroundings.

Frank's fingers interlaced with hers, both of their hands wrapped around her body until she's cradled in his arms and safe, his nose buried in her hair, his breath slow, steady, and relaxing, telltale signs of a man still asleep-- christ, he must have been damn tired thanks to Joe the last few nights-- his breath tickling the back of her neck…

And another thing.

Spooning is a great position, that much is undeniable, but she knows what men's bodies have a tendency to do in the mornings, and Frank Hardy-- immortal as he may seem-- seems to share that particular biological trait with the rest of his sex. It's enough to bring a distinct flush to her features, one even more prominent than the one from last night as Nancy swallows hard.

He's holding her closely, he's asleep, he has no idea she's asleep-- swallowing hard, she licks her lips, deciding to just… roll her hips, pressing her ass back against his hardness.

She's not sure what she was expecting, but the way he seems to jerk forward against it was not on that particular list, Nancy inhaling sharply as Bess' voice sounds out again.

"We're snowed in!!!"

That time seems to wake Frank with a start, inhaling sharply as he rapidly blinks awake.

"Oh-- _fuck_ , Nancy, sorry--"

He seems to become aware of the spooning a lot sooner than he does the massive boner he has, but that settles in quickly enough, too, Nancy biting her lip to stifle her laughter before turning to look at him and stretching, doing her best to pretend she, too, just woke up.

"Mm?"

"Oh, nothing--" he mutters, sitting up, bright red at best as he moves to quickly get dressed, Nancy pulling on her bathrobe.

"Meet you downstairs?"

Frank nods, and Nancy makes her way down to where Bess is already hovering, looking out the window alongside George.

Sidling up to them, Nancy gasps in awe. It's like the world has been blanketed in white, a massive duvet having come down to cover the entire universe. "That must be at least--"

"Two feet," George chimes in, scrolling through her weather app. "It might look clear out there now, but we're expecting way more of this, so if you wanted to go out and play in it, we should probably do that now!"

"All right, let me just grab my winter gear," Nancy smiles, scurrying back upstairs.

"You should see it outside," she tells Frank with a grin, just beaming. "It's beautiful! We're going to make the most of it before the weather turns against us again. You coming?"

Buttoning his jeans, Frank shakes his head, waving it off. "Snow's not… really my thing."

"So… ice isn't, snow isn't…?"

"... fire _is_ ," he laughs, Nancy throwing her bathrobe at him with a grin. "Get out of here; just because _some_ people aren't going to come out and have some fun doesn't mean we all are, so I need to get changed!"

"By all means," he grins, "suit yourself. I'll see if mom needs any help making our Christmas Eve dinner."

 

&

 

" _Eee_!"

Nancy squeals as Joe decks her with another snowball, rushing for cover behind a tree to start putting together another ball to pelt him with.

"Just you wait, Hardy, this is gonna be a big one!"

Stepping out, she throws, a massive grin written all over her features… until she realizes that Joe _ducked_ , the snowball pelting Frank right in the face.

There's surprise at first, then incredulity as he turns to Nancy.

" _Et tu_ , Brute?!"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't even know you were coming out!"

"I was supposed to scrape your dad's car, but I guess that's not gonna happen anymore!"

She doesn't expect Frank to start bolting across the lawn to tackle Nancy to the ground, the two of them laughing before he mashes a glove full of snow into her face.

"How's it feel, huh, Detective?"

"Mmmphfgh--" Spitting out some of the snow, she sticks her tongue out at him, Nancy's fists starting to pummel at him before suddenly switching course to try and use her momentum to roll them over, Nancy grinning triumphantly as she gets him pinned and straddled, Frank still laughing, his voice a little breathless.

"Well played, Detective."

"Wouldn't have happened if you'd just come out and joined us in the first place!"

"I don't like snow!"

"We have two feet of it! You don't have a choice!"

Rolling off of him, she flops onto her back with a laugh, only to be met with the very judgmental stares of George, Bess, and Joe.

"Still trying to pretend nothing's actually going on, huh?"

Nancy sits up with a scowl as Frank moves to stand, brushing himself off of snow.

"George! You know it's not like that!"

"Oh, is that _so_?" Joe says, narrowing his eyes at her. "Because _someone_ never slept on his side of the bed last night!"

Bess gasps, Nancy huffs, and Frank rolls his eyes.

"Nancy, you hussie!"

"I just went to sleep on the couch," Frank starts only to be interrupted by Joe's shushing.

"Nonononono, that's not true, _either_ , because I had to get up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water from downstairs-- I have dry mouth; stop looking at me like that!-- and I didn't see you on the couch!"

"Maybe I was taking a leak!"

"And brought all your pillows and blankets with you?! I don't think so!"

"All right, yes, I was in bed with Nancy!" Frank sighs, Bess' eyes widening considerably. "But it's not like you guys think. I just didn't want to deal with Joe's snoring, and Nancy offered, and I asked if she was sure about a dozen times, and she said yes, so I took her up on it. Totally platonic."

"... then why couldn't you just tell us the truth from the beginning, ya liar?" Bess narrows her eyes, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Because we both knew you would react like this?"

Letting Frank hold his hand out to help her up, Nancy dusts herself off. "He's right, you guys."

"Okayyyy, but we all know that, platonic as your intent, two people in one bed..." George shrugs, only for Bess to cut in with the hushed word, " _cuddles_!"

"Ugh, we did not cuddle! It was just one friend helping another friend out. All right?"

"Via mutual masturbation?" Joe supplies helpfully, a wide grin on his face as Frank scowls at him.

" _No_ , Joe. Now come on," he lets go of Nancy's hand to brush past Joe as Nancy's stomach painfully constricts at the lie they just told, "let's finish up that snowman."

 

&

 

"Ho ho ho, bitches!"

Joe saunters into the living room with a brilliant grin on his face, Frank scowling at him. "What have you done now?"

"Well, if you _must_ know, big brother--"

"You can't put alcohol in the hot chocolate!"

"Oh Frank, unshackle yourself from the confines of sobriety and lighten up a little, will you?"

"There's nothing wrong with some boozy hot chocolate," Bess chimes in, joining (most) everyone else in the kitchen, Nancy having long hopped up onto the counter to let her legs dangle as Bess calls over her shoulder. "Right, George?"

"Mmhmmm. Besides, I'm going to deserve some of that after wrapping all of Bess' presents for her..."

"Ugh! _George_! You weren't supposed to tell anyone! This is like my one majorly serious shame!"

George just rolls her eyes, sighing as she gets up to join them, leaning against the fridge, the room starting to get increasingly crowded. "Doubt anyone here cares how Martha Stewart you are so long as you help Joe serve his boozy hot chocolate."

Joe slowly nods, Nancy laughing.

"When are we exchanging presents, anyway?"

"Whenever you kids want to," Fenton calls into the kitchen from the living room as Joe starts pouring hot-- boozy-- cocoa into eight cups as Bess pulls them out of the cabinet.

"We'll be right in!" Frank calls out, moving to hop up beside Nancy on the counter as George takes a seat in the living room and Joe and Bess start to serve everyone.

"You think they'll actually start to believe us?"

His voice is quiet, Frank leaning into her as Nancy laughs, shaking her head. "I don't think they'll ever believe us that that there isn't more to this than meets the eye."

He falls silent at that, Nancy holding her breath. There had been a moment, earlier, in the snow where she thought that, maybe if the others hadn't been out there, he might have leaned in to kiss her. He'd certainly been close enough--

"Isn't there?"

Turning to look at him, Nancy falters for a moment, her thought only interrupted by Bess' voice.

"Are you two idiots coming, already?"

"No, Bess, just bring their mugs in here and come  join us and worry about them later," Laura smiles, Bess looking from her friends back to the adults in the room again.

"... well… all right..."

Rolling her eyes, Nancy hops down from the counter.

"Come on, Frank. Something tells me that this is their passive-aggressive way of telling us that we should get our butts moving..."

It's only as she starts to pass under the doorway, her father clearing his throat as he holds out his hand to stall her, that she realizes what's actually going on here.

"Oh no. You two have walked under there more times than I can count now. This time you're not getting away with it so easily. I put up that mistletoe for a reason, you know..."

Exchanging hurried glances with Frank, Nancy feels her heart suddenly start to race.

"Dad, I really don't think that's necessary-- or appropriate--"

"It's fine," Frank suddenly interjects, Nancy's eyes widening as she turns to look at him.

"Wh-what?"

"You're my girlfriend, right?" he says softly, Nancy slowly nodding.

"... yes, but that doesn't mean that either of us are much for public displays of affection..."

"Oh, come on, Nance, no one's asking you to _get physical_ in front of everyone!" Bess protests, glaring them down. "It's just a kiss!"

"Bess is right," Carson reasons, Nancy feeling her blood slowly start to boil, "it _is_ just a kiss."

"Are you--"

She starts to turn to look at Frank only for him to grasp hold-- gently-- of her face, his hands cupping her cheeks as he leans in to kiss her.

It catches her by surprise even with the knowledge that it was about to happen, Nancy gasping against his lips as he lets one of his hands wind into her hair to pull her in close.

For a long moment, it feels like everything around them disappears, and all that's left is Frank and every part of him around her.

The way he smells-- cinnamon and vanilla, she reminds herself-- the way his hands feel on her face-- soft, like his touch is practiced and meant only for her-- the way his lips feel on hers-- like they were only ever supposed to belong to her, his affection previously wasted on Callie--

By the time he does pull away, Nancy feels weak in the knees, their families and friends having their tongue-in-cheek fun clapping and cheering as she blinks up at him.

He seems just as lost as she does, and she's grateful to find that she's not the only one between the two of them that feels lost by the time that Fenton waves them over.

"All right, come on, time to open presents."

 

&

 

Hannah was the one that assigned everyone their secret santa gifting assignments, and she was smart about it, too-- Nancy gifting Carson, Carson gifting Fenton, Fenton gifting Laura, and so on.

By the time that they get to Bess, currently spinning around the room as she shows off her new sweater, George is cheering, everyone much more relaxed with a bit of booze in their stomachs-- even if said booze came accompanied by chocolate.

"Okay, wow," Joe laughs, "you make ugly sweaters look damn good."

"Joe!" Nancy punches him in the arm, throwing him a dark look. "Everyone's figured out by now that you gave her that!"

"What?! Don't give me that look; doesn't mean I can't appreciate my gift on her! She looks great! Look at her, Nance-- can you really deny the beauty of such a face?"

Bess poses just as Nancy rolls her eyes, Laura picking up another gift to hand to Nancy. It's a two-parter, a small, flat, square one tied up together atop a bigger, rectangular one.

"... what is this?"

"Oh my god-- Nancy, just open it!" George shakes her head at her as Nancy gingerly slides her fingers beneath the wrapping to slowly open the first.

"Well?"

"What is it?"

"I think this one's a mixtape-- but it's missing a label."

"So go open the other one!" Bess urges, Nancy throwing her a _look_ as she sets about opening that one, too.

"Wait," she whispers, pulling back the wrapping as she stares down at it. Then, even quieter, "Frank."

"... wh-why would you think that?" he mutters softly, Nancy not daring to look up at him as she opens the cover.

"A signed first edition of _Jane Eyre_? Frank, you're the only one that knows how much I love that book."

"I-it's a good book, anyone could have known that."

She could just about punch him-- not even just for his desperate attempts to evade her knowledge of the fact, but also because of how impossibly expensive this must have been, Nancy just… taking in a deep breath. The others have already moved on, Fenton now unwrapping a present-- but Nancy's mind isn't in it anymore, her fingers gently tracing the leather-bound cover as she lets her gaze meet his in surprise.

He just shrugs, turning his attention back to the rest of the activity going on.

She supposes she can't blame him. It's certainly easier.

 

&

 

It's only when she later listens to the mixtape on George's laptop that she _really_ falters.

She stays downstairs for a long time, feeling somewhat numb only to find herself outside-- and then in front of the fire.

He doesn't join her, though, so she eventually resolves-- after putting the fire out like she'd promised her father-- to just confront him. Doing her best to avoid outrightly _storming_ upstairs, she makes her way to her room, her face falling when she finds it empty.

He was supposed to be here.

"Hey," he whispers softly, Nancy turning around to blink at him. "I heard you come upstairs," he shrugs. "I didn't know if you still wanted me in here after--"

"After you spent all your savings, you mean?"

"I didn't--"

Sighing harshly, he steps inside, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Is this a joke?"

Her tone is anything but; it's quiet but deadly, Nancy holding up the mixtape he made her half-incredulously. "This is just 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'-- but nineteen times, Frank."

"I know it is."

"Is it a joke?"

"Do you want it to have been a joke?" He shrugs. "If yes, then it was a joke."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Doesn't it?" he chuckles darkly. "Because I'm pretty sure it works however we want it to work. Everyone else already thinks it's happening anyway-- there wouldn't be any consequences to us no longer pretending."

"Of course there would be consequences," she hisses, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she turns away from his gaze. "If one of us wants more--" she shakes her head. "Frank, you're one of my best friends. I already lost another one of those to these stupid… _relationship talks_ \-- I can't lose you, too--"

He turns her easily, Frank taking her face in his hands as he leans in to kiss her, easily backing her up against the door with his kiss before pulling back, his forehead against hers, just shaking his head.

"You wouldn't," he whispers.

"I could," she counters, closing her eyes.

"You're everything I've ever wanted. Unless you want this to end--" he shakes his head, "it won't. You're the love of my life--"

This time, she's the one that grabs hold of his front to pull him in close, dragging him down for her to kiss, hard, her lips on his almost bruising-- bruising enough for Frank to get the idea as his hands meet the door, pushing her up against it.

The amount of tension that seems to have built up between them is staggering, and Nancy can't stop herself from moaning as Frank seems to ravage her, his hands moving up her sides--

Pushing at his front, she shakes her head, Frank blinking as she tugs her sweater off. "If we're going to do this," she whispers hoarsely, unbuttoning her pants, "we're going to do it right."

" _Fuck_ , Nance--"

His lips are back on hers in an instant, Frank only pausing their kisses long enough to whisper to her here and there-- "I thought you didn't want to--" he practically tears his pants off of himself, his socks disappearing alongside them. "I was so worried--"

"Don't be," she hisses, her hands moving to the front of his shirt to start undoing the buttons there with a moan against his lips. He pushes her up against the door again with a ferocity, a need that seems to surprise even him, Nancy tugging off her t-shirt and sweater all in the same go before moving to her bra between heated kisses.

"Kind of a red-letter day for you, isn't it? Waking up in bed with a guy for the first time--"

"Sleeping with one of my best friends for the first time...?" she supplies helpfully, a soft laugh leaving her as Frank grins, picking her up to toss-- far too easily-- onto the bed.

"I was going to say at all," he laughs, climbing on top of her-- hovering on all fours-- as he leans in to kiss her, hard.

"Mm," she moans, pulling back only to tug off and discard her bra. "That, too."

They're making enough noise to the point where she's pretty sure Joe's taken notice, what with his room right next door, but if he's as deep a sleeper as Frank seems to suggest he is… maybe…

"I love you."

His words leave him, breathless but infinitely sincere, and for a moment, everything changes as Nancy stares up at him. He looks as though he either meant to say that, and is nervous about her reaction, or didn't mean to, and is still nervous about the consequences.

Maybe it's a bit of both.

"I'm in love with you," he reiterates as he stares down at her, Nancy blinking up at him.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"For a million different reasons," he sighs, his forehead leaning against her clavicle. "Because you deserved to know. Especially before this happens. And because-- this friendship you are worried about ruining--"

He pulls back to look at her again, Nancy's heart hammering in her chest. "It's a lie if you don't know about that. About-- me. About..."

He sighs, Nancy cutting in for him.

"About _us_."

It's his turn to stare down at her with an absurd amount of uncertainty.

Hers, however, seems to have dissolved, Nancy's hand wrapping about the back of his neck as she pulls him in to kiss him, Frank groaning against her lips as he lets his hand wrap about her breast to knead, Nancy moaning sharply as her hips buck up.

Her hand moves to her panties to drag them down, not hesitating even once as her fingers move to her clit to start stimulating herself.

"I'm going down on you," he breathes sharply against her lips, Nancy just shaking her head.

"No-- don't have the patience--"

" _Fuck_ ," he groans, slipping out of his own underwear as she wraps her legs about his hips to urge him to push inside of her.

"Frank, please--"

"I never thought you wanted this," he groans as Nancy lets her fingers speed up.

"You thought wrong."

Reaching for his cock to guide him to her entrance, she catches her lower lip between her teeth, urging him to enter her as her own hand returns to her clit.

He works himself inside of her slowly but gently, Nancy's head pushed back into her pillow as she feels herself come for the first time around his cock, Frank gasping as his forehead moves to her temple.

"Nancy--"

"I might not have been with anyone before--" she gasps, a small smile on her face, "but I've been with myself."

It's the reason why it doesn't take him long to sheathe himself inside of her fully, Nancy gasping when she feels the tip of his cock meet her cervix.

" _Move_ ," she hisses, and Frank can't seem to do much else other than comply with her wishes, Frank slowly starting to thrust as one of his hands moves to her hip, his thumb digging into her side with a groan.

Nancy's response isn't unlike his, her body arching up against him as she meets every one of his thrusts with one of her own, rolling her hips against him, every inch of her seemingly begging for nothing more than, well-- _more_.

More of his length, faster, harder, deeper-- more of his friction, the stimulation every inch of him allows her as her thighs tighten around his body.

Their bodies move together almost as though synchronized, Nancy letting one of her hands run up into his hair when she feels his cock start to press into her g-spot.

"I'm close," she whispers hotly, words Frank understands fully well as he speeds up his own movements with his own, eager to match her pace, wanting nothing more than to come alongside her.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuck _fuck_ \--"

"Frank--"

It's a blur of feelings, of emotions clouding both her judgment and vision as she clutches him closer, Nancy starting to edge ever closer to her orgasm before she suddenly feels herself start to come, her cunt pulsing around his cock, hard, eagerly milking him of his come. He follows her easily, as though the only thing holding him back had been her own pleasure, and Nancy can't help the whimper that leaves her.

"I love you, too," she whispers into his ear, the sensation of his throbbing cock still reverberating in the back of her mind. "I always have."

If she's not wrong, he almost sobs with relief-- but whether from his own release or from the joy of knowing that his feelings have always been reciprocated-- she has no idea.

"Merry Christmas, Frank," she whispers as he leans in to kiss her, and when her thumb strokes over his cheek, she can't help but feel the tears there.

"Merry Christmas, Nancy."


End file.
